


Dichotomy

by Harlequinade13



Category: Durarara!!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mild Blood, Mild descriptions of violence, Negotiations, Slice of Life, agnst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2017-11-12
Packaged: 2019-02-01 03:11:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12696051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Harlequinade13/pseuds/Harlequinade13
Summary: It was easy enough to pick him out from the late evening crowd below and the sight of him sent Izaya's blood pumping, the railing creaking under his palms as he leaned over it to taunt his enemy. The bite of metal on his hands soothed his agitation somewhat but Izaya wanted— no, needed— more. A brawl that left them both bloody and bruised, perhaps, or a rough tumble in a sketchy hotel if they could manage it, a back alley if they couldn't. Izaya was up for either that night.





	Dichotomy

**Author's Note:**

> For marovgirlfanfic on tumblr, the Durarara Secret Sandy Claws Halloween Exchange.
> 
> My first Drrr! fic. I had this idea about a year ago and never got around to writing much for it. This exchange gave me the push I needed and it was a lot of fun to write.
> 
> Thanks for the beta, [Mishka_kitty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mishka_kitty/pseuds/Mishka_kitty)
> 
> Enjoy!

They'd stayed out all night like they were teenagers again, he and Shizuo. 

Izaya found the monster, still masquerading as one of his beloved humans, on an impromptu trip to Ikebukuro, when pacing around his apartment ceased to assuage his growing restlessness. Izaya baited Shizuo from the stairwell of a building not far from Russia Sushi. It was easy enough to pick him out from the late evening crowd below and the sight of him sent Izaya's blood pumping, the railing creaking under his palms as he leaned over it to taunt his enemy. The bite of metal on his hands soothed his agitation somewhat but Izaya wanted— no, needed— more. A brawl that left them both bloody and bruised, perhaps, or a rough tumble in a sketchy hotel if they could manage it, a back alley if they couldn't. Izaya was up for either that night. But it was up to Shizu- _chan_ — he may not have been human but Izaya still liked to see what he'd do. 

There was a teeth-grinding moment when Shizuo stopped walking, as if trying to decide whether or not he'd heard his name. He took a long drag from his cigarette and threw it to the ground, eyes narrowing as he stamped it out. 

When he finally looked up, Izaya sighed and leaned back while still holding onto the rail. He meet Shizou's burning gaze, and with a flash of his teeth in greeting Izaya took off, shoes pounding a quick escape on the metal stairwell with the sound of his own name echoing behind him. 

-

Izaya did eventually make it into an alleyway, though he went alone and at well past the time when the adrenaline and opportunity of night faded into morning. In much the same way sunlight dimmed the luster of neon signs. He leaned against the brick wall and clutched his aching side, head tipped up toward the sliver of bright sky between two grey buildings. His breathing was labored and painful, his sleeve wet with blood, but a grin stretched across his face nonetheless. 

In his pocket, his personal phone buzzed. He'd fallen into the habit of only bringing one if he planned on fighting the monster, as a preemptive measure. 

He answered without looking at it; they called him everyday before school. "Hello, Mairu." 

"Iza-nii!" There was the sound of muffled voices and what Izaya assumed was the phone being transferred to Kururi, who also said his name, albeit quieter and with much less enthusiasm. Then Mairu was yelling. "Iza-nii! We _have_ to meet Hanejima Yuuhei! The things I'd let him do to me—"

"Please," Kururi said. 

Izaya sighed. It hurt. He wondered if his ribs were broken. "For the last time," he said. "I can't help you. And even if I could, I wouldn't."

"Mean." 

Izaya hung up. He could only imagine what his sisters would do if they knew about Shizu- _chan_ 's familial relation— harass them both, probably. He shrugged, debating whether or not it would be worth telling them, and started the exceptionally agonizing walk home. 

On the way, Celty sent him a text demanding to know what he'd done to Shizuo. She seemed so _angry_ , and she didn't even pretend she was human. It was cute, really.

Izaya thought back to the image of blood blooming beneath Shizu- _chan_ 's white shirt, the way he'd kept moving, kept pushing forward with the narrowed eyes of a beast as Izaya waved a knife dripping with crimson. The sight of him wasn't quite as lovely as it would have been if he'd been human but this was Shizu- _chan_. It hardly mattered. 

He sent Celty a smiley face emoji in response. 

\--

By the time he limped into his apartment, he was really fucking over being injured. The disconnect between his body and his mind was never more bothersome than when it hindered his ability to act on the impulses his mind conjured. Apart from that, he just hurt. Adrenaline and arousal had ways of making anything bearable. 

"It's 7:00 in the morning."

Namie stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed, an ugly scowl turning down the corners of her mouth. 

Izaya spread his arms wide ignoring a twinge of pain. "I'm up early."

"Like hell." 

Izaya ignored her, deciding to answer the call of the couch instead. He practically fell on to it. 

"You were out provoking that man, weren't you?" Namie asked, a sneer curling snake-like in her voice, as if she thought she'd actually latched on to something revealing. 

"Go away Namie," he said, shifting his good arm to shield his eyes from the morning sun streaming through his windows. "I have. A headache."

"You think I care. Where is it?"

Izaya rolled his eyes, though she wouldn't have been able to see it. "You aren't getting that head. You were never getting that head. So please, stop."

"I won't. I'll find it."

"You're under my employ, and you'll do as I say."

"I'm not your slave."

"Of course. Taking away a human's free will is appalling."

"That's why you're opposed to it? Because of your stupid voyeurism fetish?"

"It's not a fetish." He glared up at her before moving his arm back. "I just enjoy observing people. I love humans."

"That's not love. I believe the word you're looking for is 'fascination'."

"Oh?" Izaya laughed, ignoring the ache in his ribs, and sat up a little unsteadily. "Care to explain it, then?" He raised an eyebrow, a mocking smirk on his face. "What is love according to Yagiri Namie?"

Starry-eyed, she launched into a monologue about her brother and how she'd do anything for him, including murder Izaya to get to the dullahan's head. Which, she reminded him, she would gladly do even if he didn't have the head.

He didn't have the energy to be surprised she was still asking for it.

Izaya rolled his eyes and fell back into his previous position. "That's not love. The word you're looking for is 'obsession'."

"You mean like your obsession with the man who did that to you?" 

"Oh, that," Izaya said. "Well, that's certainly not love either. He's not even human." 

"What is it then?" Namie asked warily. 

"Something you couldn't even begin to understand." 

Namie scoffed. "At least I know what I want, instead of going around in circles all the time."

"You're so oblivious it's pathetic."

"Screw you."

"I'm done talking," Izaya murmured. "Go obsess over your brother somewhere else." 

Namie stomped off and Izaya sat up, head spinning. He called Shinra.

-

"It's done already?" Izaya tipped his head back as he walked. He shifted the phone against his ear. "It's amazing how quickly humans can work with a little external motivation." 

Hinata's relieved sigh brought static with it. "Yes, it's ready. You're free to see it now, if you want." 

Izaya smiled. "I think I will." He snapped the phone shut before Hinata could say anything else. 

And then a vending machine smashed into the street just ahead of him. As pedestrians scattered, Izaya spun on his heel, shoved his work phone into his pocket, and said, "Hello, Shizu- _chan_." _Right on schedule._

Shizuo was frowning, angry, but the stillness of his stance— upended street sign in hand and all— spoke of exhaustion. Neither of them were known for that sort of thing, and the strangeness of it on a not half-dead Shizuo made it immediately apparent. That, and having anything in common with a monster was jarring. 

"Get the fuck out," Shizuo growled. 

"But Shizu- _chan_ ," Izaya whined. "I just wanted Russia Sushi."

"Liar."

Izaya pulled out his knife, the swish of the blade through the air like waving a red cape in front of a bull. "Rude," he said. "I'll have to tell Simon you said that. Then again, what do monsters know about good food?" 

The curl of his lip was the only warning Izaya had before the Shizuo swung the sign through the air. Izaya jumped, but the metal bit into his right ankle with enough force to send him sprawling. A few days with little to no sleep and a lot of fighting were starting to get to him. But Izaya was nothing if not quick. He was on his feet again, adrenaline dulling the pain, and leading a monster down the now-deserted street. 

He ducked into an alleyway, drawing Shizuo from the beating heart of the city to its extremities.  
Trusting that he would follow. Animal behavior was usually easier to predict than a human's and In this case, he didn't want Shizuo to surprise him. 

When he reached the dirtier, less commercial part of town, he took a turn he normally didn't. He found the place easily enough, though it had no real defining features as requested. 

He was just outside of Ikebukuro. 

Izaya leaned against the door and waited. His ankle hurt. With his arms crossed, his coat sleeves irritated the rawness of his skinned palms. 

Less than a minute later, Shizuo showed up. He climbed the stairs, a bent sign balanced on his shoulder, the metal creaking under his grip. 

"What are you doing up here, flea?"

Izaya showed his teeth, spreading his arms wide in a gesture of welcome. "Negotiating."

"What?"

"This door will only open for one of us. Just needs your thumbprint here." He demonstrated and the door opened to reveal a small bedroom. "See? Even a dumb beast could do it." 

Shizuo's jaw clenched audibly. The metal curled in on itself in his hand.

"This space," Izaya said, "is a truce between us. We'll continue our little fights in Ikebukuro. That is, until I get bored and finally kill you. Except for when we come here."

"I don't want to hear 'Ikebukuro' from your rotten mouth ever again."

Izaya tilted his head.

Shizuo sighed. "So you're sayin' you want to make a habit out of fucking? Or is this some kind trick?"

Izaya closed the door and put his hands into his pockets. He shrugged. "We can do whatever we want here. We don't even have to be friends." He smiled, let his voice drop into something akin to a caress. "If you can refrain from trying to kill me, I'll let you do whatever you want to me. And I'll expect you to return the favor, Shizu- _chan_."

Shizuo stared. Then asked, low and bitter, "Why do you want me of all people?" He took a step forward, shoes touching the edge of the top step. "For this." 

Izaya tipped his head back and laughed. "Faking insecurity, are we?"

Shizuo's face went red. But he dropped his chin and spoke with his own imitation of something soft. "I wouldn't have expected something like this from you." 

Izaya was reminded of a conversation he'd had with Shinra that morning. 

_"You know," he said with that annoying know-it-all lilt to his voice, glasses slipping down his nose. "Sleeping with Shizuo- _kin_ is really diminishing your objectivity." _

_Izaya, who'd been focusing on the steady pull of the needle and thread in his arm, used a glare at Celty as an excuse to look away from Shinra. Celty held up her hand in a placating gesture. She wore her usual leather and clutched the coffee cup Shinra had been drinking from._

_"Oh, she told me, of course," Shinra said brightly. Fondly. "But it's obvious. There's even a mark under your collar there. And this is the most severe injury you've had in weeks. Shizuo- _kun_ wasn't any better than you. And he's not as good at hiding it." _

_Izaya met Shinra's eyes, challenging. "How do you know I didn't just decide not to let you prod at me?"_

_"Oh, I figured." Shinra shrugged. "But that doesn't help your case."_

_Izaya rolled his eyes, focused again on the pull of skin of his arm. He glanced at Celty again. "What would you know about objectivity?"_

_"I don't need it," Shinra said. "I want to learn more about Celty as her boyfriend, not as a scientist."_

_Izaya rolled his eyes. "And what makes you think I'm interested in learning anything about Shizu- _chan_? He's not even human. I don't need objectivity to be around him."_

_Shinra laughed. His hands remained completely steady._

_Izaya looked away._

In the present, Izaya's fingers curled around the handle of his pocket knife. It grounded him. "There. I took the initiative." Izaya shrugged, pushed away from the wall. "You can decide for yourself if you're interested." He smiled brightly into Shizuo's guarded expression and waved his knife in goodbye. 

He was halfway down the flight of stairs when the sound of the door opening reached his ears. "You had me hit by a truck," Shizuo said. 

Izaya stopped, fighting a smirk. "And you threw a vending machine at me. I guess reciprocation is important." 

"Whatever, flea." Shizuo caught and held his gaze, big hands coming up to carefully undo his bowtie. 

Izaya felt a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He made his way back up the stairs. 

There was the groan of metal as Shizuo released his sign. It fell to the ground with a crash. An offering of peace.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [tumblr](https://harlequinade-13.tumblr.com/post/161903721888/i-agree-with-you-on-the-2ct).


End file.
